Perth Scorchers begin BBL 2026-27 with a seventh title in sight and a new top-order test

Defending champions Perth Scorchers have ten players contracted for the Big Bash League 2026-27. Ashton Turner remains captain, Adam Voges is head coach and Calvin Harrison is the first overseas signing. Finn Allen has joined Melbourne Stars, while wicketkeeper Josh Inglis is still uncontracted.

BBL 2026-27BBL ScheduleBBL Teams

Perth Scorchers BBL|16 team snapshot

Confirmed Perth Scorchers players for BBL|16

The complete league-wide roster can be followed on the BBL 2026-27 squad page.

The title-winning core remains in orange

Perth have retained the leadership, all-round depth and much of the bowling attack behind their sixth championship. The current list includes four of their five leading wicket-takers from BBL|15, plus three of their five leading run-scorers.

The squad is not complete. BBL clubs can carry 18 players on their primary list, leaving Perth with eight positions available. Calvin Harrison occupies one overseas place, so the Scorchers can sign up to two more overseas players.

Perth won BBL|15 after finishing first in the regular-season standings and defeating Sydney Sixers in both the Qualifier and Final. Their BBL|16 campaign begins in Chennai before five home matches at Optus Stadium.

Perth Scorchers fixtures for BBL 2026-27

Perth play ten regular-season matches between 12 December 2026 and 16 January 2027. The fixture includes five matches at Optus Stadium and five away or neutral-venue games.

Use the complete BBL 2026-27 schedule for AEDT, IST and Pakistan time conversions, or download the full schedule PDF.

Perth’s biggest vacancy is at the top of the order

Finn Allen’s move to Melbourne Stars removes the leading run-scorer from Perth’s title-winning side.

Allen scored 466 runs at an average of 42.36 in BBL|15. His 38 sixes set a competition record, while his 184.18 strike rate made him the most destructive regular batter in the Scorchers line-up. He also shared an 80-run opening partnership with Mitch Marsh in the Final.

Replacing those runs is only part of the problem. Allen’s power forced opponents to defend from the beginning of the innings and allowed Perth’s middle order to enter with less pressure.

Mitch Marsh remains contracted after scoring 360 runs in BBL|15, while Aaron Hardie contributed 339. Perth therefore retain two experienced top-order options, but no direct replacement for Allen has been announced.

The Boxing Day match against the Stars will bring Allen back to Optus Stadium for the first time since leaving Perth.

Josh Inglis is a free agent, not a confirmed departure

Josh Inglis is not part of Perth’s confirmed ten-player list for BBL|16. Cricket Australia reports that the wicketkeeper-batter became a free agent after he and the club did not agree terms before the contracting embargo.

That does not mean Inglis has left the Scorchers. He remains uncontracted and can still sign a new deal.

His status matters because none of Perth’s ten confirmed players is a specialist wicketkeeper. Joel Curtis, who provided wicketkeeping depth last season, is also currently uncontracted.

Inglis hit the winning runs in the BBL|15 Final and has been part of three Perth championship teams. Until a new agreement is announced, however, he should not be included in the confirmed BBL|16 squad.

Calvin Harrison changes the shape of Perth’s spin attack

Calvin Harrison is Perth’s first confirmed overseas signing under the restored direct-signing system.

The English leg-spinner arrives after taking 10 wickets at an average of 19.70 for Trent Rockets in The Hundred. He also collected 22 wickets at 15.27 during Northamptonshire’s title-winning T20 Blast campaign, including career-best figures of 5-9 against Essex.

Harrison previously worked with Adam Voges at Trent Rockets. His wrist-spin gives Perth a different option alongside the left-arm orthodox bowling of Ashton Agar and Cooper Connolly.

He is not a like-for-like replacement for Allen. His signing strengthens a bowling group that was already one of Perth’s main advantages, while the vacancy at the top of the batting order remains open.

The bowling attack needs less rebuilding than the batting line-up

Perth have retained four of their five most productive bowlers from BBL|15.

Connolly was the surprise leader of the attack. He took 15 wickets at 14.93 while conceding only 6.40 runs per over. Perth frequently used him with the new ball, and he dismissed a batter in the first over of the innings on six occasions.

Beardman took five wickets across the Qualifier and Final, while Richardson produced his best cricket late in the tournament after returning from shoulder surgery. Hardie’s ability to bowl difficult overs gives the side greater freedom when balancing the batting order.

Lance Morris is also contracted after missing BBL|15 following back surgery. His progress and match readiness will be one of Perth’s important pre-season developments.

Matt Kelly retires after a career built around big seasons

Matt Kelly has retired after 39 matches and 55 wickets for Perth Scorchers.

He finishes as the club’s fifth-highest wicket-taker, behind only Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Jhye Richardson and Ashton Agar. His strongest campaigns came during Perth’s BBL|11 and BBL|12 title wins.

Kelly took 14 wickets at 12.75 in BBL|11 before adding another 11 wickets during BBL|12. Although he missed BBL|15 through injury, his retirement removes an experienced depth bowler from the wider squad.

These players remain outside Perth’s confirmed squad

The following BBL|15 players are listed as uncontracted as of 16 September 2026:

• Brody Couch
• Joel Curtis
• Laurie Evans
• Sam Fanning
• Nick Hobson
• Luke Holt
• Josh Inglis
• Bryce Jackson
• David Payne
• Corey Rocchiccioli

An uncontracted player has not necessarily left the club. Perth can still negotiate new agreements while completing their 18-player roster.

The most significant decisions involve Inglis, Player of the Final David Payne and the remaining overseas positions. Laurie Evans is another familiar overseas option, but neither he nor Payne has been confirmed for BBL|16.

Five Optus Stadium games form the heart of Perth’s campaign

The Scorchers play three consecutive home matches between 20 and 30 December. They then return to Optus Stadium for games against Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades in January.

These are the local AWST start times published by Perth Scorchers:

The Boxing Day match carries extra interest because it is Finn Allen’s first scheduled appearance at Optus Stadium since joining the Stars.

The Chennai opener does not cost Perth a home match

Perth begin their title defence against Melbourne Renegades at MA Chidambaram Stadium on 12 December.

It will be the first Big Bash League match staged outside Australia. The Renegades are the designated home team, which means Perth still retain all five of their Optus Stadium home fixtures.

The match also places the defending champions in the tournament’s most watched opening fixture, eight days before their first game in Perth.

What Perth are defending in BBL|16

Perth finished the BBL|15 regular season on top with seven wins, three defeats and 14 points. They then defeated Sydney Sixers by 48 runs in the Qualifier before beating them again by six wickets in the Final.

The Final attracted 55,018 spectators to Optus Stadium, the largest crowd recorded for a cricket match in Western Australia outside cumulative Test-match attendance.

Perth dismissed the Sixers for 132 and completed the chase with 15 balls remaining. David Payne took 3-18, while Allen and Marsh added 80 for the first wicket.

The title was built on more than one dominant player. Allen led the runs, Connolly led the wickets, Hardie contributed with bat and ball, and Turner’s leadership again held the side together during the finals.

Ashton Turner and Adam Voges remain the constant

Ashton Turner is contracted through BBL|18 and remains the captain of Perth Scorchers.

He is the only player to have won five BBL championships and the first captain to lead a team to three titles. That record gives Perth leadership continuity while changes are made around the batting order and overseas contingent.

Adam Voges has been involved in all six Perth championships. He won three as a player, two as captain and has now coached three title-winning teams.

Together, Turner and Voges give Perth something most rebuilding champions do not have: the same on-field and off-field decision-makers who shaped the previous success.

Perth Scorchers’ six BBL championships

Perth have won the Big Bash League more times than any other club.

Their titles came in:

• BBL|03
• BBL|04
• BBL|06
• BBL|11
• BBL|12
• BBL|15

They have reached nine BBL finals and won six of them. Sydney Sixers are the next most successful club with three championships.

A BBL|16 victory would give Perth a seventh title and complete a third set of back-to-back championships.

What will decide Perth’s BBL|16 season?

The bowling base is already strong enough to support another finals campaign. Connolly, Beardman, Hardie, Richardson, Agar and Paris provide different options, while Harrison adds wrist-spin and Morris could increase the pace of the attack.

The less settled area is the batting order.

Perth still need to replace Allen’s power, resolve the wicketkeeping position and determine how much availability they will receive from senior international players. The remaining eight roster positions give the club room to address those needs, but the eventual signings will decide whether the champions enter BBL|16 with the same balance they had last season.